Supported projects

This reference collection consists of a physical material library and a database of so-called ‘wild’ silks, i.e. materials derived from sericigenous species used in crafts and industries around the world, other than Bombyx mori L. The originality of this corpus lies in its interdisciplinary nature, as it includes textile samples (materials at all stages of transformation: fibers, threads, fabrics, dyes, degumming materials, etc.), natural history specimens (cocoons), biochemical solutions, digital data, images, and more. The physical samples were collected to support the progress of the ANR Wildsilks project, in connection with specific and documented research questions and are now considered as referential materials to be used by colleagues notably for comparative purposes. Some of them may be used for teaching, training and/or exhibition purposes, making their preservation and long-term preservation essential. Once the database structure has been tested and the approach validated, the goal will be to link or add to the ANR digital corpus the datasets belonging to other collections identified in existing collections. A selected portion of the geolocated data from this database will be preserved in a dedicated data repository (Humanum) and made available to the public through an associated website to ensure accessibility. Both the database and the physical materials library are accessible upon request, subject to justification.